I'll buy into *** Akers when I see him do it. Problem that these guys are having is that they think UM can just lean on the run game and grind out wins. That's never happened here. This ain't Wisconsin. We are LOADED at the skill spots.
We need to find a QB who can run the offense and get the ball in the hands of those skill guys. That, in turn, will open up the run game.
If these guys think we're going to go to Tallahassee and line up in the I formation and play that old Big 10 run, run, pass game and beat FSU they're nuts. Never gonna happen. We haven't dictated the run game on them in 20 years.
In FSU's 3 losses last year, teams averaged 39 rush attempts versus FSU. Louisville, UNC, and Clemson are not I-Form running teams. This isn't 1982, brother. In FSU's 9 wins over FBS competition...33 carries per game (that is a bottom 20 number).
UNC ran it 32 times. FSU ran it 43 times. Yet UNC beat FSU. That doesn't support your theory.
Louisville ran it a lot because Jackson was killing FSU with his legs and they had a gigantic lead by halftime. I'm guessing they did a ton of running once they got a 50 point lead.
Clemson ran it 38 times against FSU for only 133 yards. Clemson threw it 43 times for 378. That is a heavier pass than run distribution, which also doesn't support your theory.
My theory doesn't discuss run
ass ratio...simply that you need to run the football in volume...~40 is your wheelhouse. Again, you can nitpick an outlier here or there, but again, look at the dominant teams in college football year in and year out and look at their attempts per game. UNC ran the ball 30 times per game last year...ended up 8-5.
Clemson - 40apg
Alabama - 43 apg
USC - 39apg
Washington - 38apg
Oklahoma - 44apg
Ohio State - 45apg
Penn State - 39apg
Florida State - 40apg
Wisconsin - 47apg
Michigan - 44apg
That is your final Top 10. Averaged 42 attempts per game.
FWIW - Louisville ran 22 times in the first half against FSU.
Thing is, he's not nitpicking. This is why they say if you torture the data enough it eventually gives in. What good are rushing attempts if you net virtually nothing off of them?
The attempts per game stat in isolation tells you nothing. I bet there's a fair amount of mediocre to poor teams who run the ball 30 to 40 times. You have to look at yards per attempt as well. And yes, the passing stats matter too.
The difference is most of the teams you're referencing had very credible threats under center in the passing game. Bama is probably the surprising case that didn't, but let's not confuse our OL with Bama just yet.
Whoever we have under center needs to be able to dropback and deliver a strike under duress. That is the defintion of shouldering it. Remeber Matthew Thomas knocking Kaaya's tooth out on the first series? Yeah, that.
If he cannot do that, we can run our 40 attempts to 27-6 loss having earned 1.5 yards per attempt. If he can, then we're in business. The defense backs up and our YPA becomes more respectable.
I will tell you what, if we come out the first few series and go run, run, incomplete/sack, punt, neither of us need to watch the game. You'll get your 40 carries and I already told you the score.
